When Night Falls
by darkhaven
Summary: Although Cornelius Fudge refuses to admit it, Voldemort has risen once more. This chronicles the events following his resurrection, in the summer of Harry's fifth year. ON HIATUS -- Probably Abandoned
1. Prologue

When Night Falls

by

Darkhaven

Prologue

Albus Dumbledore was looking through the memories in his pensieve, searching for his last encounter with Cornelius Fudge. In his office, Severus Snape was waiting for him, hoping that events were not as bad as they seemed.

At last, Dumbledore found the memory he was looking for. Fudge was standing in the hospital, after he had been told of Voldemort's resurrection. It quickly became apparent that he was in a state of denial.

"I don't know what you and your staff are playing at, but I have heard enough. I have no more to add. I will be in touch with you tomorrow, Dumbledore, to discuss the running of this school. I must return to the ministry." With that, he gave Harry Potter the prize money for the Tri-Wizard Tournament, and left.

After seeing this scene, Dumbledore left the memories stored within the pensieve, and returned to his office, where Snape immediately asked, "Well, what exactly happened?

"Fudge absolutely refuses to believe that he has risen, and, unfortunately, there does not appear to be anything I can do to change his mind." Snape sighed.

"Then I suppose we must let events proceed," he said. "Let us hope that Voldemort does not take advantage of his stupidity. Otherwise, the terror that existed thirteen years ago is going to return, and more virulent than ever." With that, Professor Snape left the room. 

"Let us all hope that you are right, Severus, else we will all be in great danger, for we will have made his second rise to power even easier than his first."

  
  


AUTHOR'S NOTE

I know the prologue is short, but please keep reading. The story itself begins in the next chapter. Everything (and I mean everything) belongs to J.K. Rowling.


	2. The Return

WhenNight Falls

by

Darkhaven

Chapter One

The Return

  
  


Lord Voldemort was sitting in a chair in the study of the Riddle house. 

"Wormtail, give me your arm. It is time for my followers to let the world now that I have returned, and that my second reign has begun." With that, he touched the Dark Mark on Pettigrew's arm, muttering "Mordessignus"

In Malfoy Manor, Lucius Malfoy, who had been giving orders to Crabbe and Goyle, stood up from the chair in his study and apparated, followed by the others. 

McNair was in the midst of a conversation with a fellow employee of the Ministry of Magic, when he felt the signal. Muttering something to the effect that he was late for an appointment, he quickly left the building, apparating as soon as he had passed the defensive wards which surrounded the Ministry.

Snape, wandering the halls of Hogwarts following his meeting with Dumbledore, went pale as his arm started to burn. He quickly ran to his chambers, and after quickly scribbling a note to the Headmaster, he threw Floo Powder into his fire.

Avery was sleeping when the call came. He leapt out of his bed, and, after hurriedly throwing on some clothing, apparated to the Riddle house.

Far away, in the forests of Siberia, Karkaroff shivered, feeling the Dark Mark begin to burn. 'I am a dead man if he finds me,' he thought. With that, he shouldered his pack and went deeper into the wilderness, hoping to find someplace remote enough that Voldemort could never find him.

Lord Voldemort sat back in his chair, waiting for his followers to appear. Avery was the first, followed by Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and McNair. A few minutes later, Snape finally entered the room.

"I have called you here because it is time for the wizarding world to know that I have returned from my long exile. We will start anew where it previously was thought to end, in Godric's Hollow." With these words, his red eyes flashed. "Avery, Crabbe, Goyle, McNair; I have summoned you because you are the closest to our target. Inform my followers in the area to meet at midnight tomorrow night, when we will strike. Now, all of you may leave except for Snape and Malfoy." After their departure, Voldemort turns to Snape.

"Severus, I am... displeased... at your tardiness."

"But my lord, I was --"

"Crucio." Snape began to scream. After a what seemed like an eternity, Lord Voldemort lifted the curse. "Why did you not join me on the night of my return to the living, Severus? Karkaroff betrayed me, by naming my supporters to the Ministry. For that, he will die. Do you wish to suffer the same fate?

"No, my lord. Please forgive me. Dumbledore was watching. If I had tried to leave, he would have suspected --" 

"Crucio" This time, the curse was not lifted until Snape's voice had gone hoarse. "Now, leave, and do not make the same error twice."

"Yes, my lord." After his departure, Voldemort turned towards Malfoy.

"I have a special task for you. After the attack tomorrow, I want you to hunt Karkaroff down and bring him to me. He must pay the price for betrayal." As he said this, his eyes were flashing once again. 

"Y...Yes, my lord." With this, Voldemort turned his back on Malfoy. Five minutes later, he looked at him and saw that he still had not moved.

"You have become wiser in the thirteen years since I last saw you. Good. Perhaps there is some hope for you yet. Now, you may leave."

"Yes, my lord." After he apparated, Wormtail emerged from the shadows. 

"My lord, --" 

"You do not trust Severus, I know, even after all these years."

"No, my lord."

"That is good, as I have a job for you. You will observe every move that he makes. If he makes a single mistake... Avada Kedavra." The green light flashed across the chamber, striking a single rat that was scurrying across the floor. Voldemort walked over and picked it up.

"This will be him."

* * *

The next night, Voldemort, accompanied by Wormtail, appeared in front of the twenty Death Eaters that had been summoned to this rendezvous.

"I have returned, and it is time to make our presence felt once more. Tonight, we will attack Godric's Hollow, the place where they thought they had destroyed our cause. Tonight, we will show them that they failed, that we once more stalk the night. Tonight, we show the that my reign will not be denied. Tonight... we go!" With that, the Death Eaters apparated to Godric's Hollow, surrounding the house there.

"Expelliarmus!" The door of the house was blown backwards, and Lord Voldemort entered the building, surrounded by his followers. Inside, a young couple stood against the back wall, the woman holding a baby in her arms while her husband stood in front of her, seeking to protect them. Voldemort laughed.

"Crucio."


	3. Discovery

When Night Falls

by

Darkhaven

Chapter 2

Discovery

John Edwards was talking with one of his coworkers, Melissa Rutherford, the following day. Both of them were aurors, and detailed to the terrorism investigation squad, known in the past as the You Know Who Division. Fortunately, however, those days were well over a decade away. Currently, the members of the squad had a fairly simple task; as their opposition mainly consisted of former Dearth Eaters who were more interested in Muggle baiting than causing any real trouble, a fact demonstrated by the Quidditch World Cup. Edwards was in charge of the Squad, and, as their leader, was responsible for representing them within the hierarchy of the Ministry. At the moment, he was discussing his latest meeting with his boss, James G. Philips, the current head of the Magical Law Enforcement (MLE) Department.

"That man is unbelievable! Not only did he turn down your request for a vacation because our section 'does not have the personnel necessary for the satisfactory completion of its duties,' but he also refused my petition for extra funding claiming that 'the rumours that have been spreading as a result of Dumbledore's speech are obviously false, and, as a result, your department need not be concerned with preparing to regain a wartime footing.' First he tells us that we don't have enough people, then he refuses to give us the money needed to accomplish the goals that he sets. I swear, one of these days I'm going to --"

"John, calm down! I know that Philips is . . . perhaps not the best man for the job, but he is what we have to work with. You have to work with him, because otherwise he will find someone more willing. Now, why don't we go have lunch? It might help you get your mind off of him. We can even go to that Muggle restaurant that you like so much. What was its name? Oh, Malati."

"Trying to get me to lighten up, Melissa? Thanks for the effort, but I doubt it will work. On the other hand, lunch does sound good. We don't even have to go to there, if there is somewhere you'd rather go."

"No, I insist. Besides, I kind of like the food there, too." The two of them left the Ministry, chatting. About an hour later, they were walking back through Diagon Alley when John stopped in front of a store that had a Wizarding Wireless Network broadcasting a Quidditch Match in order to check out the score. After checking the score, they began to walk away when suddenly they heard a new voice come over the WWN.

"We interrupt this match in order to bring you a special news report. Late last night, the Tyler family was murdered in Godric's Hollow, following what appears to be a prolonged torture session. Although a tragic occurrence, this event would not normally be remarkable but for two things -- the sighting of the Dark Mark and the fact that the site of the murder was the former Potter House, where You Know Who met his end slightly over a decade ago. When combined with Headmaster Dumbledore's speech claiming that You Know Who has returned, this event is making many people wonder. Is Dumbledore right? Or is this simply the act of a few disturbed individuals, desperate men seeking to take advantage of the situation? More on this story as it develops. This is Blair Winston, signing off. We now return you to the WWN's broadcast of the match between the Chudley Cannons and the Falmouth Falcons."

Edward and Melissa looked at each other, then immediately apparated.

  
  


Authors Note:

As always, everything belongs to JK Rowling. I know that it is a short chapter, but at least it got updated, as it is still finals week. In response to the reviewers (in no particular order):

Tincerbel and Brittanie: To be honest, I don't think that Harry will play too much of a part in this story. As it stands, he may not even appear, with his dreams being relayed through other characters. I know you'll hate these words, but . . . wait for the sequel.

Dr. Fritz: Hopefully this will help you make up your mind. As for the author, it's me, and this is my first fic.

Lee: Your right of course, and I totally forgot that when writing the first chapter. However, I think I have come up with a work-around for the situation which leaves my plot intact. Check out the rewritten second chapter for more info.

Icediamond: Problem solved, and don't worry - that isn't going to happen.

Icequeen: It's a new story set in the Harry Potter Universe (I don't want to call it a new HP story because he won't play much of a role)

Natty, Voldemort (), Vanessa, Hermione Weasley, GryffinGirl, 

Nyght^Mistress, Thanks. Its nice to get some positive reviews.

Amarissia: That's what I was trying for. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your POV), the atmosphere will lighten up for a while, as Voldemort terror machine gets started up once again, and as John and co. begin investigating. Don't worry though. As one of my inspirations for the murder scenes is the Anita Blake series, by Laurell K. Hamilton, it's still going to be fairly dark (especially once they begin to get more . . . inventive in order to increase the terror). 

Shea T. Peregrine (): Thanks for the review. I don't think that they will get much shorter, as that is *very* short for me. I'll work on the characters, and now that my protagonist has been introduced, hopefully your other concern will be addressed.

And finally, Hermione Gulliver: I already answered the majority of your questions in the e-mail. As for the prologue . . . I'm working on it somewhere at the back of my mind. Just have patience, as my mind seems to have shut down on that specific issue. 

*Note* This fic was formerly titled The Dark Times. The title was changed because I feel the When Night Falls will bet suit its overall mood. In other words, its going to be depressing for a while, folks.


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